Assurances from state senators representing DeKalb County that they would support a freeze on property assessments led to the approval Tuesday of measures that overhaul the county's financial and ethics oversight.
Sen. Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, wants the property assessment freeze so that homeowners don’t see their taxes rise. By preventing the assessed value of homes from going up except when they’re sold or renovated, residents’ property taxes would stay the same each year unless elected officials raise rates.
Until Tuesday, Millar had prevented the DeKalb governance legislation from advancing until the property assessment freeze legislation, House Bill 596, also passed. That bill is still pending in the House of Representatives. Millar is the only member of the Senate's Republican majority representing DeKalb, and he can influence whether legislation moves forward.
Millar said Wednesday that a majority of DeKalb’s six Democratic senators told him they would sign off on the assessment freeze if it passes the House.
That cleared the way for three bills changing DeKalb’s governance to pass. These measures create a DeKalb financial watchdog position, end political appointments to the county Board of Ethics and tighten purchasing rules.
These measures are now awaiting Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature.
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